Whenever Shen Qingwan thought of Zhao Jing’er, she still felt speechless.

So, the next day, she simply changed into a more practical women’s outfit.

Instead of tying up all her hair, she styled it into a high ponytail atop her head.

Dressed in a deep red, fitted long-sleeved robe with a jade belt at her waist, her lips rosy and her features strikingly cold and elegant, she looked just like a heroine stepping out of a painting.

Shen Qingwan’s transformation not only startled Zhao Jing’er but also left the entire town in shock.

The “kind and generous Master Shen” they had spoken of was, in fact, a young woman—and an extraordinarily beautiful one at that.

Zhao Jing’er was livid upon discovering that Shen Qing was a woman, feeling utterly humiliated and deceived.

Zhao Zhuo, too, hadn’t expected that he had been so blind.

The promising son-in-law he had his eye on was now completely out of the picture.

Jin Qianqian had been rolling an egg on her swollen face for a long time, trying to reduce the swelling.

However, upon learning that Shen Qing was actually a woman, she felt an inexplicable bitterness in her heart.

That faint stirring of emotions she had once felt dissolved into a sigh.

The admiration she had secretly harbored but never voiced was destined to end before it even began.

Though a little disappointed, Jin Qianqian harbored no resentment toward Shen Qingwan. Instead, she admired her even more.

As a fellow woman, she was deeply impressed by Shen Qingwan’s brilliance, radiance, and righteous heart.

Such a person was worth looking up to—worth following.

As the year drew to a close, the roads remained covered in thick snow.

The snowfall had lasted a full day and night, and with the bitter cold that followed, it showed no signs of melting.

Shen Qingwan thought of Old Madam Lu and the two children.

She wondered how they were doing now.

She had originally planned to go to the capital before the new year, but she had been delayed.

Now, with the holiday so close, she still had too much to do, meaning her trip would have to wait until after the new year.

On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, Shen Qingwan took her mother and Rong Yunshuang back to Dahe Village.

That day, they were slaughtering pigs for the New Year feast.

The more than 200 pigs she had raised were ready for market, but she had no intention of selling the meat.

Instead, she planned to turn them into cured sausages and preserved pork. Knowing that the intestines from her own pigs wouldn’t be enough, she had arranged to buy additional pig intestines from elsewhere in advance.

The chickens, ducks, and geese had also fully matured. Villagers had already started plucking feathers a few days earlier.

These birds would also be turned into preserved chickens, ducks, and geese, while their feathers would be saved for making quilted jackets.

As for the eggs laid by the poultry, Shen Qingwan intended to keep them for hatching rather than selling them.

It was the first time the villagers were slaughtering pigs for the New Year, and everyone was thrilled.

Ye Minglan had never seen such a lively scene before, and when she saw how warmly the villagers treated her daughter, she felt deeply grateful for their kindness toward Shen Qingwan.

The villagers, too, were meeting Ye Minglan for the first time.

When Shen Qingwan introduced her as her mother, they warmly welcomed her, showering her with food and gifts.

Ye Minglan was overwhelmed by their generosity—before she could even refuse, she had already received a pile of things.

“Hahaha, Lady Shen! Just treat this place like your home, no need to be polite. Take whatever you need. You don’t know how much we owe to that girl of yours. Without Qingwan, our Dahe Village wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is today. We wouldn’t have enough food or warm clothes. Now that you’re reunited with her, we’re all happy for you!”

The village chief personally led Ye Minglan on a tour of the village.

She smiled warmly and nodded. “I’m very happy too, and I sincerely thank you all for taking care of Wanwan.”

Meanwhile, Shen Qingwan was in the butchering area, directing the slaughter and meat distribution.

By the time the village chief returned with Ye Minglan, dozens of pigs had already been processed.

There was no need for special arrangements—almost every man in the village had come to help, with only a few, like Lu Youfu from the grain store, remaining behind for work.

Shen Qingwan set aside five pigs specifically to be shared among the villagers for the New Year feast.

They had worked hard all year, and she wanted everyone to enjoy a feast and have a bountiful new year.

The villagers were overjoyed upon hearing that she was giving them pork.

Although she had mentioned before that she would slaughter pigs at the end of the year, they had never dared to imagine that she would actually give away five whole pigs—nearly 200–300 jin (100–150 kg) of meat.

Each household would receive dozens of jin, enough to last a long time.

Besides the pork, each household would also receive one chicken, one duck, and one goose.

Combined with the stored radishes, cabbages, sweet potatoes, and grain in their cellars—not to mention the silver they had earned—they were living a life they had never even dared to dream of.

And it was all thanks to Shen Qingwan.

To the villagers, she was their most precious treasure, someone they would protect at all costs.

Even Zhang Qiao’er’s parents, who had once been wary of her, were now deeply grateful to her.

They were especially relieved that they hadn’t defended Zhang Qiao’er when she had returned to the village. After she ran off with their family’s money, they had already disowned her.

When they later heard that she had died, they were saddened for a few days but never spoke of her again.

Now, people from all over Shakou County and the surrounding villages envied Dahe Village. Although their houses were still made of mud bricks, they were living well. Building better homes was only a matter of time.

On the 24th, they finished slaughtering the pigs, and on the 25th, they began making cured sausages.

The village women and young girls eagerly came to help, but since processing the poultry also required hands, they had to split into two groups.

Chopping the meat and stuffing sausages was no small task, and since it was their first time, they needed Shen Qingwan’s guidance every step of the way.

She was so busy she barely had time to breathe.

Ye Minglan, seeing her daughter so overwhelmed, wanted to help but didn’t know how.

Fortunately, Lu Wenguang and Zhou Huiniang assisted with organizing the work, ensuring everything went smoothly.

The sausage-making took three to four full days to complete.

Meanwhile, the poultry was also being processed and smoked simultaneously, so the work progressed steadily.

On New Year’s Eve, the grain store was closed for a day.

Shen Qingwan sent over festive food to Rong Yunfei, while Meng Hangzhou chose to spend the New Year in Dahe Village with them.

She also managed to move into her new home just in time. When she moved in, the villagers brought her many gifts—everything from combs and scissors to tables, chairs, blankets, and bedding.

Though overwhelmed by their generosity, she accepted it all with gratitude.

They had their New Year’s Eve dinner at Shen Qingwan’s new home.

Lu Wenguang and Zhou Huiniang brought their daughter Xiaojian along.

Ye Minglan personally made dumplings, and even Meng Hangzhou joined in by tending the fire.

To make things festive, Shen Qingwan bought plenty of firecrackers. Meng Hangzhou led the village children in lighting them, filling the night with laughter.

After dinner, there was no resting. Meng Hangzhou took Rong Yunshuang and her brother to pay respects to Shen Qingwan and Ye Minghui.

Zhou Huiniang followed suit, bringing Lu Wenguang and Xiaojian to kneel and offer New Year’s greetings.

Shen Qingwan, of course, also had to pay respects to her mother.

Ye Minghui, deeply moved, helped them up one by one and handed each a bright red envelope she had prepared in advance.

Inside each envelope was a gold leaf weighing one tael—though, in truth, the gold had been purchased with Shen Qingwan’s money, as Ye Minghui currently had none.